Latest news with #HendersonEels
Scoop
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Group B Teams Finalise Preparations For OFC Women's Nations Cup
With eight overseas-based players in her squad, Fiji head coach Angeline Chua is confident her team has what it takes to lift the trophy at the OFC Women's Nations Cup 2025, which kicks off tomorrow in Fiji. Group B teams, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, are putting the finishing touches on their preparations ahead of their opening matches on Saturday at Suva's HFC Bank Stadium. At this morning's pre-tournament media conference, held at the Fiji FA headquarters, Chua spoke about the pride and motivation of playing in front of a home crowd. 'In Fiji, we love sports, and we love to host. It's so important for the players to have their families and fans there supporting them,' said Chua. 'Playing at home gives us a unique advantage, and we're determined to make the most of it.' Chua also reflected on the importance of Fiji's recent international friendlies against Papua New Guinea. 'Those matches were crucial for our development. It's tough for Oceania teams to get regular matches during FIFA windows, unlike other regions where countries are closer together. But international exposure is vital if we want to perform on the bigger stage,' she said. 'Travelling to PNG and coming away with positive results gave us belief and helped us assess where we stand ahead of this tournament.' Solomon Islands coach Moses Toata is overseeing a squad featuring several players from Henderson Eels, who reached the semi-finals of the OFC Women's Champions League in Tahiti in May. 'We're excited to be here and grateful for the opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the region,' said Toata. 'Preparation has gone well, but we need to stay focused – especially for our opening match against Fiji.' Tonga head coach Kilifi Uele, a seasoned figure in the Pacific football scene, has blended local talent with a handful of US-based players in a youthful squad. 'This is one of the youngest senior teams we've fielded, many are from the U-19 side that qualified for the OFC U-19 Women's Championship for the first time,' said Uele. 'We also have eight overseas players joining us, which is a big boost. Our goal is to reach the semi-finals.' Vanuatu, guided by Jean-Robert Yelou, enter the tournament with quiet confidence after a focused domestic build-up in Port Vila. Several players hail from the Penama Tigers, late withdrawals from May's OFC Women's Champions League, and others from the U-19 national side. 'Our preparation has had its challenges, but the women's league is back up and running, and there's growing commitment at home,' Yelou said. 'We're excited to show what we can do.' Beyond regional pride, the OFC Women's Nations Cup carries additional importance: valuable FIFA ranking points are at stake, which will influence seeding for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 Oceania Qualifiers, beginning in the Cook Islands later this year. Group A action kicks off tomorrow in Lautoka, with Cook Islands facing Tahiti in the tournament opener at Churchill Park, followed by defending champions Papua New Guinea taking on Samoa.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
OFC Women's Champions League: Auckland United, Hekari FC cruise into final
Defending champions Auckland United FC and Papua New Guinea's Hekari Women's FC will clash in the final of the 2025 OFC Women's Champions League on Saturday. Photo: OFC/RNZ Pacific Defending champions Auckland United FC and Papua New Guinea's Hekari Women's FC have set themselves up for a rematch when they play in the 2025 OFC Women's Champions League final on Saturday. Both teams powered their way through the semifinals in Papeete, Tahiti, on Thursday to secure their place in the final. Hekari proved too strong for Fiji's Ba, winning 6-1 at the Stade Pater in the first semi-final, and booked a spot in their second straight OFC Women's Champions League final. Reigning champs Auckland United played in the second game game of the day and showed their dominance over Henderson Eels of the Solomon Islands, also winning 6-1 in the end. Auckland defeated Hekari 2-1 in pool play last week and also in last year's finals in Honiara. OFC said that Hekari turned in their best performance of the tournament in a dominant display and that had they been more ruthless in front of goal in the first half, would have won more emphatically. Ericsson Komeng's side dominated possession from the outset, were fluent in their buildup play but lacked quality in front of goal in the first spell before turning in a clinical second half performance. Ba were outplayed throughout the clash, but managed a goal in the first half to keep a 1-all draw at halftime. Luisa Tamanitoakula claimed the Fijian team's lone goal from the penalty spot. Hekari managed three through Nenny Elipas, who scored one in the first half and two in the second. Other goals came from Marie Kaipu, who claimed a double and Phylis Pala, with one. In the second semifinal, Auckland made a statement against Henderson Eels, scoring three times in the first seven minutes to effectively seal progression to the final. OFC said Zoe Benson scored a hat-trick inside 28 minutes to overtake Hekari United's Marie Kaipu in the race for the Golden Boot. She now has eight for the tournament, one clear of the Papua New Guinea side's captain and star striker. Henderson Eels playmaker Ileen Pegi showed her class in a brief moment of respite for the Eels with a strong run down the flank, before cutting back inside of Saskia Vosper and unleashing a stunning right-footed strike to beat a despairing Hannah Mitchell in the Auckland United goal. That goal in the 26th minute was as good as it got for the Solomon Islanders on attack. They did manage a free kick against the crossbar late in the second half. At the other end, while Betty Sade had a tough time in the Henderson Eels goal, she produced a moment of magic to deny Ava Pritchard from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. Leading by 5-1 at the break, Auckland United FC ensured there would be no dramatic comeback from their opponents two minutes after the restart when substitute Danielle Canham scored Auckland's sixth goal of the game. The final of the 2025 OFC Women's Champions League will be played at 2pm on Saturday (NZ time). The match will be telecast live and free on FIFA+.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Auckland United FC Set Up Title Decider With Hekari Womens FC At The OPC Women's Champions League In Tahiti
Press Release – Oceania Football Confederation Defending champions Auckland United FC have blitzed Henderson Eels FC 6-1 at Stade Pater in Papeete to reach the final of the OFC Womens Champions League 2025 for the second straight year. The New Zealand champions face a rematch against Hekari Women's FC in Saturday's (Tahiti time) decider. Ben Bate's side won the final 1-0 in the Solomon Islands last year and also defeated Hekari 2-1 in Group play last week. They made a statement against Henderson Eels, scoring three times in the first seven minutes to effectively seal progression to the final. Zoe Benson scored a hat-trick inside 28 minutes to overtake Hekari United's Marie Kaipu in the race for the Golden Boot. She now has eight for the tournament, one clear of the Papua New Guinea side's captain and star striker. Henderson Eels playmaker Ileen Pegi showed her class in a brief moment of respite for the Eels with a strong run down the flank, before cutting back inside of Saskia Vosper and unleashing a stunning right footed strike to beat a despairing Hannah Mitchell in the Auckland United FC goal. That goal in the 26th minute was as good as it got for the Solomon Islanders on attack. They did manage a freekick against the crossbar late in the second half. At the other end while Betty Sade had a tough time in the Henderson Eels goal, she produced a moment of magic to deny Ava Pritchard from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. Leading by 5-1 at the break, Auckland United FC ensured there would be no dramatic comeback from their opponents two minutes after the restart when substitute Danielle Canham scored Auckland's sixth goal of the game. From there Ben Bate's side controlled the tempo but were unable to find the back of the net again as Henderson Eels produced a resolute defensive display that was missing in the opening 30 minutes of the match. Auckland United FC 6 (Tupelo DUGAN 4', Zoe BENSON 5' 18' 28', Ava PRITCHARD 7', Danielle CANHAM 47'
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Auckland United FC Set Up Title Decider With Hekari Womens FC At The OPC Women's Champions League In Tahiti
Press Release – Oceania Football Confederation The New Zealand champions face a rematch against Hekari Women's FC in Saturday's (Tahiti time) decider. Ben Bate's side won the final 1-0 in the Solomon Islands last year and also defeated Hekari 2-1 in Group play last week. They made a statement against Henderson Eels, scoring three times in the first seven minutes to effectively seal progression to the final. Zoe Benson scored a hat-trick inside 28 minutes to overtake Hekari United's Marie Kaipu in the race for the Golden Boot. She now has eight for the tournament, one clear of the Papua New Guinea side's captain and star striker. Henderson Eels playmaker Ileen Pegi showed her class in a brief moment of respite for the Eels with a strong run down the flank, before cutting back inside of Saskia Vosper and unleashing a stunning right footed strike to beat a despairing Hannah Mitchell in the Auckland United FC goal. That goal in the 26th minute was as good as it got for the Solomon Islanders on attack. They did manage a freekick against the crossbar late in the second half. At the other end while Betty Sade had a tough time in the Henderson Eels goal, she produced a moment of magic to deny Ava Pritchard from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. Leading by 5-1 at the break, Auckland United FC ensured there would be no dramatic comeback from their opponents two minutes after the restart when substitute Danielle Canham scored Auckland's sixth goal of the game. From there Ben Bate's side controlled the tempo but were unable to find the back of the net again as Henderson Eels produced a resolute defensive display that was missing in the opening 30 minutes of the match. Auckland United FC 6 (Tupelo DUGAN 4', Zoe BENSON 5' 18' 28', Ava PRITCHARD 7', Danielle CANHAM 47'
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Auckland United FC Set Up Title Decider With Hekari Womens FC At The OPC Women's Champions League In Tahiti
The New Zealand champions face a rematch against Hekari Women's FC in Saturday's (Tahiti time) decider. Ben Bate's side won the final 1-0 in the Solomon Islands last year and also defeated Hekari 2-1 in Group play last week. They made a statement against Henderson Eels, scoring three times in the first seven minutes to effectively seal progression to the final. Zoe Benson scored a hat-trick inside 28 minutes to overtake Hekari United's Marie Kaipu in the race for the Golden Boot. She now has eight for the tournament, one clear of the Papua New Guinea side's captain and star striker. Henderson Eels playmaker Ileen Pegi showed her class in a brief moment of respite for the Eels with a strong run down the flank, before cutting back inside of Saskia Vosper and unleashing a stunning right footed strike to beat a despairing Hannah Mitchell in the Auckland United FC goal. That goal in the 26th minute was as good as it got for the Solomon Islanders on attack. They did manage a freekick against the crossbar late in the second half. At the other end while Betty Sade had a tough time in the Henderson Eels goal, she produced a moment of magic to deny Ava Pritchard from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. Leading by 5-1 at the break, Auckland United FC ensured there would be no dramatic comeback from their opponents two minutes after the restart when substitute Danielle Canham scored Auckland's sixth goal of the game. From there Ben Bate's side controlled the tempo but were unable to find the back of the net again as Henderson Eels produced a resolute defensive display that was missing in the opening 30 minutes of the match.
